RECORD OF DECISION Management of Conflicts Associated with Double-crested Cormorants

This Record of Decision (ROD) was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in compliance with the agency decision-making requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended.1 The purpose of this ROD is to document the decision of the Service for the selection of an alternative for managing conflicts associated with double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus; hereafter “cormorants”) across the contiguous 48 United States (hereafter “Project”). The Service based its decision on the analysis completed in the June 5, 2020, Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and the November 20, 2020, Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The Service prepared the DEIS and the FEIS in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services Program (Wildlife Services).